Aim
by WillyFourEyes
Summary: At an archery range at Baron Castle, Rosa shows Cecil how well she can handle a bow. Cecil/Rosa oneshot...no pun intended.


_Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is a registered trademark and all related characters and locations are the property of Square Enix._

_A/N: I wrote this piece to see how well I could capture the "archer" side of Rosa. It's easy to forget about that part, since she's a white mage, but in actuality, she's just as capable with a bow and arrow in her hands._

* * *

A few days after returning to Baron from Kaipo, Cecil and Rosa decided to take a trip to the archery range at the rear of the castle. A handful of soldiers stood in a linear formation, aiming for targets roughly fifty meters away. Rosa waved to the coordinator and reached for her custom-made bow sitting in the middle of the weapon rack behind her.

"Ready to try another round, Lady Rosa?" asked the coordinator.

"Yes," said Rosa. "I could use a little more practice."

"Then get yourself a quiver and head to that target on the end there. Let me know when you're finished so that I can clean this area up."

Rosa and Cecil took their spot at target #12, the furthest one away from the door. Cecil couldn't find a stool to sit on, so he stood a few feet to Rosa's right side and watched her load up an arrow.

"So, is this what you do with your free time, Rosa?" he asked.

"Apart from assisting the white mages with healing the sick, yes," she responded. "I believe that if I work hard enough at this, I might be the one to fire the arrow that saves your life, instead of the other way around."

Rosa steadied her breathing and focused her attention on the target ahead. She had practiced her form enough to the point where it became as natural as getting out of bed in the morning. Pointing the bow slightly above bull's-eye level to compensate for wind speed, she released her grip on the bowstring and watched her first arrow hit its mark on the outer red ring.

"That was quite a good shot," said Cecil, stroking his chin.

"Thank you," said Rosa. "I try to get at least two hours' time in at this range every week."

Rosa took a few extra seconds to line up her next shot. The second arrow landed on the line just above the bull's-eye.

"Your practice sessions appear to be paying dividends. If I had confidence in my accuracy like that, I would have asked His Highness to let me trade in my sword for a bow long ago."

Rosa giggled and blew Cecil a kiss. "Want to give it a try? If you manage to hit the bull's-eye within three shots, you might get something special."

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline this time. I left my gloves in the bedroom, and I don't think it would be good for my hands. Besides, I'd rather stand here and observe from the master. You appear to be having much fun over there as it is."

"Oh, Cecil, you flatter me. I think a little archery practice might do you some good."

A third arrow found its way onto the outer yellow ring of the target. Rosa relaxed her bow stance, satisfied with the results from that session.

"Are you sure you don't want to give it a try?" she asked.

Cecil looked at Rosa's target, and watched the archer in the row next to them cheering as he celebrated his second bull's-eye of the day.

"If he can do it," he said, "then perhaps I may also be able to do it."

Cecil took the bow and arrows from Rosa and attempted to mimic her style. He tried to fire the arrow straight ahead, but it bounced off his thumb and veered off-course, striking a point on the outer black ring.

"Hmm...not quite the result I was hoping for," said Cecil.

"An admirable effort for a first-timer," Rosa reassured him. "Of course, with some personal hands-on assistance, I'll bet you could increase your accuracy and consistency threefold...and I know just the person to do it. Just keep your eye on the target, and let me do the rest."

She walked slowly behind Cecil and helped him correct his posture, guiding his hands so that he didn't over-strain himself when holding the bow.

"Now, release," she said calmly.

He took a deep breath and fired at the target again, handing a shot right on the border of the inner blue ring.

"There you go," said Rosa. "Now you're starting to get the hang of it."

Cecil readied another arrow, looking away from the target only briefly to catch a kiss from his beloved Rosa. The longbow was largely an unfamiliar weapon to him, but with a competent instructor like her around, he felt he could get used to it.


End file.
